Why the 2008 Primaries Matter

The primary-elections season is coming sooner than ever this year. Help decide who will run for President — and how your life will change next November.

Why These Primaries Are So Important
"For the first time in decades, it's a wide-open race," says Tim Storey, senior fellow at the National Conference of State Legislatures. "Both parties have many legitimate candidates, and there is no incumbent candidate, so the primaries really count." When you cast your vote for one of the candidates in your chosen party, you are participating in a winnowing process — from up to dozens of candidates down to one Democratic candidate and one Republican candidate — that will determine our future President, arguably the most powerful leader in the world.

How It Works

In order to choose and unite behind their presidential candidate, over the course of several months leading up to the presidential elections, each state's Republican and Democratic parties hold primary elections or town hall–like meetings called caucuses. Because this process is run on a state-by-state basis, depending on where you live you might cast your vote anonymously (as you do in the general elections) or you might participate in a caucus, but if you are a registered Independent, you may not be able to participate. Candidates are awarded delegates based on their popularity in each primary or caucus. Afterward, the delegates are tallied and each party hosts a national convention to officially nominate the candidate with the most delegates.

What's Different This Year

Traditionally, Iowa holds the first caucus in mid-January and New Hampshire has the first primary a week later; South Carolina holds the first primary in the South, and the other states follow. In early March, "Super Tuesday" has marked when the most primaries are held in one day, and some primaries occur as late as June. But this year, both the Republican and Democratic parties in Nevada announced plans to move up their caucuses to an earlier date, probably in an attempt to increase the state's influence by entering the process early on, and this move set off a domino effect — the parties in South Carolina, New Hampshire, Iowa, Florida, and Michigan have all since taken measures to move up their primary elections and caucuses. "This so-called front-loading has been going on for several election cycles, but this year it's more intense than ever," says Dante Scala, Ph.D., elections expert and political science professor at the University of New Hampshire. "Candidates spend so much time campaigning in Iowa and New Hampshire because of their first-in-the-nation status. And because the media often anoints the winners in those two states as the front-runners, there's a sense that the nomination process is over by the time primaries occur in other states. This year, those other states want to get in on the early action too." It is possible, though, that this front-loading strategy will backfire: "In the case that no candidate gains a majority of delegates early on, the country will be looking intensely to the states that hold their primaries later," says Scala.

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Gabrielle Union stood up for her rights as a cheerleader in Bring It On, and now as a supporter of voter initiative Declare Yourself (DY), she's standing up for her rights as a citizen — and yours.

Why did you join DY?
Voting is power, and we as American citizens can lose sight of the fact that it's a luxury. DY's idea is powerful in its simplicity: Vote and be a part of the solution.

Why should we vote?

It's about not becoming complacent. We should take part in the decisions that affect us.

What was your first voting experience like?
I felt so powerful. It wasn't so long ago that a person of color couldn't vote. Every time I vote, I think about how this is my right.

What would help motivate more of us to vote?
I wish we'd view elections like we view American Idol. We united behind Kelly Clarkson, and look how far she's come! We have to approach the presidential election with as much excitement.

In order to make your voice heard this election, first you need to register to vote (at least 30 days before Election Day in most states). If you're 18 years of age or older and a U.S. citizen, you're most likely eligible.

Download a voter-registration form from declareyourself.com, fill it out, then mail it to the address listed for your state's chief election official. Don't have Internet access? In-person registration centers vary by state, so call your city hall or the local Department of Motor Vehicles to find out where to go.

Note: If you're a resident of New Hampshire or Wyoming, you must register in person.

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